Church teachings give women freedom &#8211; law prof

Helen Alvare

October 29, 2012

Helen Alvare, former U.S. bishops’ pro-life spokeswoman, is the co-author and editor of a new book, Breaking Through, Catholic Women Speak for Themselves.

The concept for the book took off when the recently coined and politically charged phrase, “war on women” was used by some to characterize opposition to a federal mandate requiring most religious employers to provide free coverage of contraceptives for employees.

“It forced me to make a response,” said Alvare.

The recent claims about “war on women” fail to acknowledge Catholic women who value religious liberty, said Alvare, who is a law professor at George Mason University Law School.

Along with her co-authors and 36,000 women, Alvare signed an open letter she and fellow book contributor Kim Daniels wrote to the Obama administration, saying religious freedom must be preserved not only for private worship, but also for public expression.